Toys as Transmedia
Now that the gift-giving of the holidays has subsided, I can begin to reflect on what the time of year means to a lot of people. Namely, toys.
Toys of successful franchises are transmedial entertainment in a corporation-approved setting. Children use the medium of action figures and dolls to create their own stories based on the IP of others. Toy makes have succeeded where purveyors of nonphysical media are still struggling: encouraging the audience to participate in the story.
There is, at least, some hope that we all can learn from toy makers.